The Ocean Blue
by Bamboo Pug
Summary: Mysteries, cures and tragedy...will Malcolm be able to get back to his compnaions or not....read on. R&R! COMPLETE!
1. One's Time

**A/N: Well hope you like. I don't own the chars cept those that don't belong to Paramount, you know the drill. Happy Reading**

* * *

Captain Jonathan Archer lay on his bed and stretched. It was the early hours of the morning and he was certainly ready for it. He had a feeling something big was going to happen today, he just knew it.

He looked up and out the window. The beautiful black mass of the starry abyss was welcoming yet morbid. It had that aura around it; it was partly what attracted him to space in the first place. Not just his boyhood dreams or his father telling him stories of how he would be the greatest captain alive. He wanted to be out here and explore the unknown. Like those before him, there was just something that inspired him about space.

He felt movement near him and knew it to be the usual morning rustling of his dog pal, Porthos.

"Morning Port. Suppose I'd better get up eh?"

A small yip was all he got in return. Jon smiled and rose, the sheets falling from his bare chest. The temperature stat was playing up and it tended to be a little hotter these days. He'd had to have a little word to Trip about that.

He tossed the covers aside and stood. He stretched, pulling his back muscles by raising his arms and craning his neck forward. He went to his drawers and pulled out a black undershirt. Looking at his Beagle he put the shirt on, doing up the buttons whilst pacing the room.

He was about to go to the wardrobe when his buzzer went. He looked at the door in surprise but soon asserted himself. Mornings always made him a little slow. He pressed a button on the desk before returning to his earlier task.

"Come in!"

To his surprise Reed walked in. Reed wasn't the one for morning visits; he was half expecting it to be T'Pol or Trip but not Malcolm Reed. Jon turned, holding his uniform in his hand.

"Oh, hello Malcolm. Wasn't expecting to see you so early this morning," Jon said with a smile.

Malcolm took a moment to reply and Jon saw the slightly puzzled look before it vanished into thin air

"It's 08:00 hours Sir."

Damn, he thought it had been the early hours. Evidently not as it appeared. Jon frowned as he looked at Malcolm. He had evidently made Malcolm slightly uneasy as he saw Malcolm shift his weight.

"Really? Guess I got carried away with my sleep. What's wrong with the Comm.?"

"It's down for maintenance Sir. Apparently, something went wrong. Commander Tucker's fixing it right now."

Archer nodded. Trip had mentioned something about the Comm. System the night before and that he couldn't seem to find the root of the problem.

"Well, let me get my uniform on and then we'll head for the bridge,"

Malcolm nodded and turned to leave to wait outside.

Jon nodded, mostly to himself more than anything. Hurriedly, he worked on his jumpsuit, making sure at the last minute that it was on the right way round. He wasn't going to be called an ass by Trip today at least. It was an inside joke.

He patted Porthos on the head quickly before heading out of his quarters. Malcolm was waiting there, his back against the wall. As if he had anything else to do thought Jon as they walked to the bridge.

"Did Trip give a estimated time for when the Comm. System will be fixed?"

"He didn't say for sure Sir. When I asked, he said a few hours, maybe the whole day." Malcolm replied with his usual steady British accent. Jonathan never quite understood the reserved Englishman. There were a few things he liked and didn't like about the man and some of Malcolm's quirks; he knew he'd never be able to understand without asking the man.

They entered the turbo lift and Malcolm pressed the call button to go to the Bridge. Archer hated silences, not long ones anyway.

"You startled me back there," Jonathan spoke up, itching to just talk.

" I did Sir?" Malcolm was looking at him, politely but Jon could see the slightly raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I was expecting to see Trip with his lousy morning jokes or T'Pol with her oncoming tales of logic. I wasn't expecting you…it was a surprise in the least."

"I didn't mean to Sir," Malcolm started but Jon put up a hand to stop him.

"It was different and sometimes, it's good have something unexpected to happen. As long as it's a nice surprise."

Malcolm didn't say anything, which Jon wasn't surprised about but he caught the nod of understanding. The doors opened to reveal the usual Bridge nothing had changed. The Captains' chair was in the middle as always, well not directly in the middle but close enough. Travis was in his usual seat at the helm, Hoshi was at hers and T'Pol was sitting in the Captain's chair. An ensign or crewman had filled Malcolm's place.

The Ensign or crewman, Jon couldn't say which, upon seeing his CO's removed himself and T'Pol stood from the chair to face Archer.

She was about to speak when a technical buzz came through.

"Hoshi?" Archer asked, wondering whether it was coming from inside Enterprise or from the outside.

"It's not from any nearby ships Sir…I'm guessing its Commander Tucker playing around with the Comm. System again," Hoshi replied, looking behind her to see Archer as she did so.

Archer chuckled. The buzz cut out and it didn't happen again.

"Sorry I'm late. My alarm didn't go off," Lame excuse but Jon couldn't come up with any better ones.

T'Pol raised a quizzical eyebrow but just nodded slowly and went back to her post. She was wearing a purple uniform today, though Jon couldn't say it suited her and as usual, he couldn't tell what she was thinking through her dry façade.

Down in engineering, Trip had been working his ass off trying to fix the damned Comm. System. He got up extra early to sort it out, which was very unusual for him. As a child, he loved the morning lye-ins. Having the responsibility of choosing your own get up time on weekends and holidays was the best thing back in his childhood and he was pretty sure it was the same with every other kid.

It was just after he returned from the bridge earlier that morning that he found the problem. A wire was very lose from its connection. He put it back to what it should be. He moved towards the Comm. Button on the wall.

Back on the bridge, Archer and T'Pol were in deep discussion.

"I supposed the meeting has been temporarily postponed?" Archer stated whilst moving towards his chair. Reed sat at his station and Jon could see he was checking things. Probably thinking on the next brilliant weapons upgrade he could think, that Jon could wager.

"It has. Commander Tucker said he'd return when someone fetches him unless he fixes the Comm. problem"

"Tucker to the Bridge?" Came a hesitant call. Archer smiled, Trip managed to find the little bug in the system then.

"Yes Trip?" He said, pressing the nearest button, which happened to be on T'Pol's work station.

"I think the Comm. System is working. I found the root of the problem; one of the wires had come lose. It was a pesky thing ta find." Trip reported back, pride filling his southern accent.

"Well-done Trip. I'm glad you got the problem fixed. Oh, before I forget we're having the usual morning meeting so could you grab Phlox and come up here?" Archer asked.

"Sure Cap'n. We'll be on our way,"

"Thanks Trip," Archer cut off. He smiled slightly and sat down waiting for Trip and Phlox to arrive. The silence was agonising. Archer was literally counting the seconds it took for them both to arrive.

They entered a minute later. Trip was wearing a usual expression on his face when all the senior crew turned to the Situation Room.

"So. What's on the cards for today?" Archer asked, not caring who answered even though he felt he knew the likely suspect.

It was actually the annoyed Commander whose voice was now as it usually was.

"Well, not a lot. Just an M-class planet with a population of five hundred thousand," Trip drawled with excitement. Archer could tell he was itching to get down there

"How do you know?" Archer queried.

"I was up here for the usual meeting time but you were late, so I ran back to engineering to find the Comm. Problem and I found it Cap'n," Trip grinned back to his friend.

His friend nodded slowly and Trip got a little impatient

"Well, what do ya think Cap'n?"

"I think we should go and explore," Archer said with filled enthusiasm. He was expecting the usual criticism this morning but none came. He made no comment not wanting the bad news to fill the room. "Malcolm, can you prep a shuttle pod?"

The Brit nodded and immediately left the Bridge. Archer smiled. He knew that if Malcolm had a job to do, he would get it done quickly and efficiently. That's how it went in the Armoury as far as Jon could tell.

"So what can we tell about this planet T'Pol? I assume you have some interesting information"

"Indeed I have Captain. Forty-three percent of the planet's surface is land mass. The other fifty-seven percent is water. I detected a plentiful array of animal life from what I could tell from the sensors, together with the five hundred thousand inhabitants" Her face remained neutral but Jon didn't miss her twinge of curiosity

"That sounds fantastic. Let's go." Archer commented. Only Travis and Phlox were left behind not that they minded. Travis was happy not to go round breaking his left leg or any other part of his anatomy for a change.

888

An hour later they were on the biggest continent they could possibly find. The birds, or what they thought were birds sang their fine-tunes in the high bare stemmed trees. The tree came in two varieties here, it seemed as T'Pol commented. One was like the monkey trees otherwise know as redwoods that could be found in Chile. The other was like a Birch Tree except it had large, orchid like flowers sprouting from the tip of twigs. "So where are these life forms?" 

"300m from our current position" Came a British reply he knew was Malcolm's. When Jon looked at the Englishman, he saw that the man's face was white as a bone. Jon never recalled a time that he had seen his Armoury officer so pale. The man was evidently trying to hide it as he was looking away slightly but alas for him, Archer had already noticed.

T'Pol also had seemed to pick up on this, well she doesn't miss a beat does she though Jon as he waited to hear Malcolm's reply.

"Lieutenant Reed, is there something troubling you?"

"These life forms are in the middle of an ocean" Malcolm said slowly, Hoshi could feel the creeping morbidity in his clipped voice. "Not just are they in the middle but they are under it, well, in it to be exact"

He let his words sink in. He used the silence to figure out what was going on, going though possible theories in his head.

It was Commander Tucker who broke the grave silence.

"In the water?"

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter...chapter two coming soon! Please review and add some constructive criticism please if any. let me know...**


	2. In The Abyss

**A/N: Heya...thanks you for the outstanding reviews. Well, same stuff with the disclaimer blah blah blah...Enjoy!**

* * *

"It appears so Commander" Reed agreed. He just couldn't figure it out. Life-signs under the water, it just didn't make any sense. But then he remembered the Aquatic Xindi. It could be them but then again it might not be.

"Any guesses on who it might be?" came a voice that was undeniably their Captain's.

It was Hoshi who spoke first; she tucked a loose strand of her black hair behind her ear. Archer and T'Pol faced her.

"It may be the Aquatic Xindi. We know they have ships of their own and maybe they landed here in search of another home."

"But isn't one home good enough?" Trip asked sceptically.

Malcolm however, disagreed with Trip.

"Not necessarily Commander,"

"Explain Lieutenant." Trip said, turning to face the Armoury Officer.

"Well, take Wolves for example. The wolf has many dens so if something bad happens in one, say another wolf has killed the dominant mother's pups she'll move on to a safer den. It's the same principle Sir, the Aquatic Xindi perhaps are preparing another home or in the process of moving," Malcolm supplied.

"I agree with Lieutenant Reed but why move?" Hoshi asked thoughtfully.

It was again Reed who supplied the answer…he had been going through the possibilities why a race would move home if that were so.

"Perhaps to escape from another race."

"Reptilians maybe?" Archer said, finally catching onto what his officer was saying to them.

"That would be a viable solution Sir"

"Well, let's head to this point and we'll go with caution" the group nodded. They continued towards the area with the mysterious life forms.

When they got the closest they could to these life forms they found an endless plain of blue. The tide lapped at their feet and they stepped away from it. Jon looked around him, asserting where they were. It was so serene here, the birds singing softly amongst the trees, the sound of the waves lapping at the ghostly white sand and the steady breathes from his companions.

He saw a boat to his left. It was pea green, which oddly reminded of something from his early childhood. He couldn't place what though so it couldn't have mattered.

"There's a boat over here" He informed them before making a start for it.

The rest followed with silent agreement although Reed was hesitant and Trip had commented he looked rather peachy.

"Ya alrigh' Loo-tenant?" Trip's accent seemed to have thickened considerably and Malcolm had difficulty in trying to decipher what the Commander had said. He figured it out eventually and nodded slightly.

"I'm fine Commander," he replied coolly. The southerner shrugged and moved on.

"Looks like we're in for a boat ride" Archer said with his usual grin. Malcolm found it slightly disconcerting how the man was always so happy. Except for a few exceptions like the incident where he heard that Archer's friend had died on Mt. McKinley.

Carefully, they boarded the small wooden craft with Malcolm bringing up the rear, he put his fear of water to the side for now but that didn't go to say his face would return with colour. His face was still pale and ghost like.

Archer took up the oars and pulled in a gentle rhythm. It took them half an hour to reach the spot where these life forms were registering. They sat in silence for a while.

"So, how are we gonna say "hello" to these guys?" Trip queried, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Perhaps knocking would work Sir" Malcolm commented lightly. His voice was slightly croaky. No guesses why Archer thought.

"Oh do tell me Malcolm, just how do you do that?" Trip snapped back.

"Hit the water Sir" Malcolm supplied rather antsy.

"Perhaps you could show the Commander what you mean Lieutenant," Said a rather calm, rational voice that Malcolm knew to be their resident Vulcan's.

Malcolm consented and put a tentative hand in the water and splashed it about. He took it out soon after, wiping the water onto his pristine uniform.

Not long after Malcolm's little stunt that the water started to toss around them. Some splashed into the boat, landing on the crewmember's uniforms. A large form jumped out from the water and went strait back in again that they only caught sight of fins. As the large form re-entered the water it sent a large spray of water onto one poor, unsuspecting person.

That person happened to be Commander Tucker. He was drenched from head to toe in salty water; he was spitting the water that had somehow managed to get in his mouth. Archer was positively laughing.

"Shut Up Cap'n. What choo laughin' at?" Trip muttered darkly. He was not pleased. "Thanks Malcolm for that,"

"Your welcome" Malcolm said croakily. Trip noted that Malcolm was not smiling which made him feel slighter better

The boat suddenly lurched. It was so sudden that Hoshi nearly fell out; Archer had grabbed her arm to stop her from falling into the deep water. The boat jumped around on the water, tossing its occupants around in the boat.

Malcolm absolutely hated it from his childhood to right now. He loathed the water so much he feared it. It was an unmerciless being willing to murder anything in its venomous path.

Suddenly, Malcolm found himself sinking. What the hell? He thought as he tried to swim upwards. He could just about hear the cries of his friend above the surface. He panicked, the water had him in her grasp and he knew there was little chance of him getting free.

He sank further into the menacing blue abyss. He tried harder to gain upwards but he just couldn't manage it. He didn't give up his vain attempts, he just couldn't. He wanted to get back to his friends and colleagues. He didn't want to be left behind.

He felt light headed and knew no more.

"Malcolm!" Trip shouted before shortly jumping into the water to go after his best friend. But the water had other ideas, it spewed him right back up again and he found himself back in the boat bone dry. He felt his chest and looked up at the others in confusion.

"Tha' was weird"

"Impossible" Whispered T'Pol. Her voice fracturing slightly at the end as she tried to explain it to herself.

The water calmed quicker than Jonathan had expected. It was as smooth as a pane of glass. They stared into the dark abyss where their English friend was sinking. They felt they knew what had happened. Malcolm hadn't resurfaced; they didn't see the panicked face of their friend. They didn't hear his frantic cries from the unknown.

"No. He can't be dead now…he just can't be" Hoshi cried. She held feelings for the man, feelings that ran deep into her veins.

"We should head back to shore" Stated T'Pol quietly. She respected the British Armoury Officer a great deal.

"No! We can't just give up on him!" Shouted an angry southerner not wanting to believe that his friend was gone forever. A lost friendship stung him hard.

Eventually they knew there was nothing more that they could do for their friend. He was lost, gone for good in the mortal realm.

They headed back to the NX-01 in silence. They thought on the life of Malcolm Stuart Reed and what he had done for them and the ship herself. They knew he deserved the best memorial they could ever do, as they knew they owed their lives to him on several, countless occasions.

What they didn't know was that Malcolm Stuart Reed was far from dead.

* * *

**A/N: Ooohhoh...crunchy stuff eh? Please leave a message...the purple button awaits you...go on press it...ya know ya want to.**


	3. Ocean'ers

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the last chap...**

Exploded Pen: Merpeople! You guessed it! Well done you, have a cookie! I was so pleased when you said that.

* * *

What an awful racket? God, was that Trip on the harmonica again? Or was it Trip trying to sing or maybe one of Travis' many bad jokes? Malcolm couldn't tell. He screwed up his face to show how much he hated Trip doing that…he'd figured Trip would stop in a moment upon seeing Malcolm's face. Alas, the wailing didn't end. This prompted him open his eyes. At first everything was blurry and distorted.

Something blocked his field of vision. It was a woman and her hair was floating around her face. Malcolm looked at her in confusion and she smiled. She moved her arm and hand in a waving movement. Malcolm tried to sit up but the woman held him down with one of her hands. She was remarkably strong for her size.

Malcolm looked around at his surroundings, trying to assert where he was. What looked like a barracuda swam by. This shocked him that the fish was within arms reach.

Then it dawned on him. Fish lived in water…then the rest came to him. He had fallen off a boat and sank into the merciless depths of the deep blue sea. He looked back at the woman above him. How was he able to breathe under water? How were they able to? He saw a figure float above him.

This figure was male or least he figured that the figure was male. The figure came closer and started to speak. Remarkably, Malcolm could hear him clearly.

"You fell from the world above. Are you feeling well?"

He found himself nodding slightly and answering.

"I… I think so…yes"

"I am Hermes. This is Aphri. Aphri, let him sit up, he's been asleep for a long while"

Aphri nodded and helped Malcolm to sit up. Malcolm took in his surroundings more. He registered that he was sitting on what appeared to be a giant scallop or clam. It amazed him that he was down here and not panicking. He thought about his father and smiled wanly. In a strange sense of irony, he was proud that his father would be proud if Stuart every came to hear of this weird event.

"What is your name and where do you come from so that we can return you" The man called Hermes asked gently.

He studied Hermes for a moment. Hermes had short spiky ginger hair and was quite muscular in appearance. Malcolm then saw the fin joining onto the man's torso. Hermes appeared to have noticed.

"I apologise. We are Mermen of the Ocean Blue"

It took a little time for the information to sink in. Mermen? Malcolm has thought them myth like the Unicorn or Medusa but here they were. Two of them, floating right before him.

"Your name?"

"Malcolm. Malcolm Reed. I'm from a star ship called Enterprise"

Hermes and Aphri looked at each other briefly and Aphri nodded slightly. She spoke softly and sounded oddly like T'Pol.

"We have something to show you Malcolm. We shall guide you"

Malcolm could only nod, still in bemusement. Hermes and Aphri nodded slightly and took one of Malcolm's arms each. They took him to a large coral building; it was filled with iridescent lights. It was, admittedly, a rather beautiful sight.

Fluorescent blues, greens and orangey-reds floated and simmered behind the coral. The trio remained quiet as they drew closes to the great structure.

On the Enterprise, there was eyrie, deathly silence. Trip, becoming one of the few to really know the reserved Englishmen took it very badly.

Malcolm's death also brought a shock to all the crew, especially the Armoury, and Archer couldn't blame them. Malcolm had worked well with them, and made sure they did their job well. It was an unusual site for the Chief Armoury not to be the first seen in the Armoury in the early hours of the shift.

It was even stranger on the Bridge. T'Pol had the command chair as Archer was in the Ready Room in talks with Admiral Forrest and Hoshi and Travis both knew who be after the Admiral. Malcolm's parents.

Hoshi knew Malcolm's sister would be greatly distressed about her brother's death. As for Mary, Hoshi thought she would be upset about her son's death but for Stuart, Hoshi wasn't so sure.

No one spoke. No one had the heart to. Their friend was gone and he would never be coming back

They entered the structure before them. It was a grand sight and Malcolm knew in his heart that he would never be forgetting this place.

They brought him to a large room filled with green consoles and a chair. Malcolm eyed the chair suspiciously. Of course, he was all too used to them, but each one was different in its own way.

Aphri and Hermes stopped and looked at the man with two legs instead of a fin. They thought this strange but they had seen it before.

"We need to get a visual of your last home. Temporary home at that. That device' Hermes motioned his head to a machine next to the chair 'will locate it and gives us it's last known co-ordinates. It scans the surrounding atmosphere of this planet. It will send that vessel a automated message and we shall deliver you to the surface once more"

It seemed practical to Malcolm and he nodded, giving his consent. Nodding Aphri led him to the chair. Out of habit, Malcolm kicked his legs slowly and Aphri smiled. Her teeth gleamed white. She helped him to sit in the chair while Hermes placed small, mechanic devices on Malcolm's head, two at the front and two at the back.

"You may feel a little odd and there will be some pain. Understood?" Aphri said gently. Her voice softly like a harp.

He nodded and allowed himself to relax. There was a sharp twinge and Malcolm grimaced. He suddenly felt rather tired and his eyes began to droop. His played what could be called a playback of his memory. He recalled the events of that day, the sinking, the falling out of the boat, teaching Trip how to knock on water, informing his companions of the mermen's location and then Enterprise's Bridge. It didn't go further from there and he felt really awake again.

He slowly opened his eyes and Hermes was in his face this time round. Hermes smiled and nodded to him.

"I guess you are wondering why you fell asleep," He said with a smile.

"Yes, I was actually," Malcolm, replied as Hermes removed the devices from Malcolm's head.

"To get a location of your home, we needed to view a picture image of it. Your brain would remember these images and store it safely away. They come out again usually when you are sleeping, we can only access them that way. It is in an effect, dreaming."

Malcolm smiled and nodded.

"I would like to ask another question"

"By all means," Aphri replied, nodding her head slightly

"Why am I able to…to breathe down here?" Malcolm asked cautiously.

"The water is allowing you to…you see she has a mind of her own. She says who can enter and who cannot. She allowed you in because you had a fear that she felt needed to be relieved of. Your friend was not allowed. He was put back in the pea green boat after he tried to get to you."

"How does she know my fear though?"

"The sea holds many questions and answers." Hermes paused, swam in a circle around Reed and halted before him " She knows because you were very tentative to putting your hand in the water. She sensed fear and knew what to do. We are the ones who have to return you to the surface. She says you are free to leave. So, upwards we shall send you. We can't go with you I'm afraid…the fish will help you to find the way but we shall give you an advantage."

"What advantage?" Malcolm asked.

Hermes smiled and swam towards a cupboard in the room. He brought out a long, three-pronged stick.

'Bloody hell' Malcolm thought, 'That's Neptune's staff'

* * *

**A/N: Well, reviews are welcomed greatly! Hope you've enjoyed it!**


	4. One's Own

**A/N: REF: Wolfling made a comment on one of my other fics and had written: 'Maybe we should stick Malcolm in a bubble. That way he'd have to take less injections and we could tie him to something and keep him there for...let's just say observation shall we?' **

Extraordinarily enough, it gave me an idea for this chapter. So the bubble credit should really go to her/him so thanks Wolfling!

Sorry this took so long. I'm in the process of moving to another computer, the only thing halting me down is the internet.

* * *

Bleeping was heard on a console in an English home in Portsmouth. It went unheard for a matter of minutes before a neatly dressed woman answered it. She missed her only son considerably and looked forward from hearing him soon. Every day was the same, the same hope but alas, letters never came and she gave up trying.

When she looked at the screen, she saw that this message was from a Starfleet vessel by the name of Enterprise. Raising her eyebrows she speculated this briefly before accepting the connection. A familiar face came onto the screen.

He had contacted her once before, asking about Malcolm's favourite food. She was curious as to why he was asking this but she said nothing at the time. Stuart had been the one answering.

It was Captain Jonathan Archer. Stuart, of course, never had liked him but Mary did. He amused her in some way when he looked happy.

Captain Archer's face looked grave and sincere. Not a thread of happiness lurked in his green eyes and she instinctively knew that something was wrong.

"Captain…what's happened?" Mary asked quietly. Stuart was asleep and she didn't want to wake him yet. Madeline was in the next room and Mary knew Madeline loved her brother dearly.

" I'm afraid to report that an event has happened to your son Mrs. Reed."

Mary's eyes widened, her eyebrows rising in wonder.

"What has happened to Malcolm Captain?" She said in a quiet whisper.

"I'm sorry to say that your son, Lieutenant Reed, drowned on an away mission. We tried to go in after him but there was something in the water…"

Archer got no further. Mary burst into tears not caring if she woke her husband up who now had come running into the room.

"What's the meaning of this Captain?" Stuart Reed demanded of Archer but Mary began speaking amongst her loud sobbing.

"Malcolm…dead… drowned!" Mary spoke no more but it was all Stuart needed. It stunned him. His one and only son, dead. In a strange sense of self-consolation Stuart was pleased that Malcolm, the heir of the traditional roots, which Malcolm had broken had died in the cold murky depths of the sea. It brought him some satisfaction but he was proud of the one who broke the line.

He looked at Archer who nodded slightly, his face grim. Stuart then knew that this Captain had respected both his Son and Armoury Officer to a very high degree.

Mary's loud sobs eventually brought Madeline in the room. At first she rushed to her mother but then looked at the man on the screen to her father. It had to be about her beloved brother. It just had to be.

Her father looked taken aback, stunned and she told him gently to sit down before he fell down. He complied, perching on an old rose-printed armchair. Leaning forward she faced Archer. 'What happened?'

Sighing softly and taking a deep breathe. Archer repeated the catastrophic news to her. Her features fell about in shock, anger and tears.

"No! You're lying! It can't be true!"

"I'm really sorry. He was a good man and will be missed throughout Starfleet."

Madeline took a moment to respond but she only nodded. She heard a bleep from Archer's end and he answered the call. He looked puzzled from what Madeline could see but she couldn't really care. All she could care about was about her brother. The loss was painful. Of course she knew he could die out there but she never really thought about it, she had always figured he'd be back home, invincible, as he always seemed to be to her.

"I have to go. My condolences Mr. And Mrs. Reed." Madeline nodded and Archer's face disappeared from the screen, which was soon replaced with the Starfleet logo.

"I don't believe it" Stuart stuttered. It was all too much "I'm getting a drink" he stood and wavered towards the drinks cabinet in the room. He got a bottle of whisky and a couple of glasses and sat back down again, pouring a generous amount into the glasses.

Mary just took one and swallowed the whole contents. Stuart just followed her lead. Madeline shook her head, not believing that Stuart was drinking over the death of his son.

"Father…what are we going to do?" For once in her life she didn't know where to put herself. Her father however hadn't listened.

"What have I done? I never even gave him the chance, I never respected his choice" Stuart downed another glass "There was so much that needed to be said and now I will never be able to say it to him."

Madeline crossed over to him and took the glass from his hand; she put it next to the bottle. She huggedher fatherfor all that it was worth in the world, knowing her father, the one and only Stuart Reed felt remorse for what he said and did to his only son and heir

* * *

Aphri smiled She knew there was a lot of questions swimming in Malcolm's mind. This was not new to her. Many before spoke similar questions that Malcolm Reed held. Many races had come here and each time the Ocean Blue took one away. No one knew why she did this but with every patient coming through the mermen were beginning to understand and respect her more, living in harmony with her wishes.

Hermes smiled as he handed Malcolm the staff that the small, two-legged human claimed to be "Neptune's Staff" whatever that was.

"This will guide you along and protect you from those who live here but are evil. The fish won't guide you all the way Malcolm Reed but the light from the world above will."

Malcolm only nodded. He did not care to think what kind of fish would be guiding him. It'd be rather like David and Goliath. He was David, and this 'fish guide' would be Goliath he thought sourly and waited.

This fish was about the size of a Yellow-Fined Tuna Malcolm thought. It had iridescent lights along its side and its mouth was hooked like a Salmon's. As far as Malcolm could tell this fish could go at great speeds if it wished it so.

Aphri smiled and bowed slight, her tail fin wallowing in the depths.

"It is time for you to go. I hope your phobia has been dispelled"

He nodded not trusting himself to speak.

The fish eyed him for a moment and motioned for Malcolm to follow and swam slowly upwards. Swallowing slightly, he followed the creature. He glanced back at Hermes and Aphri. They had helped him so, hesitantly, he waved to them and they returned the gesture with smiling faces.

Suddenly, he came to realize what water meant to him. It was another being, another source. Man could not survive without it yet man still feared it so. The water scares back in the year 2005 caused a panic through England. If there were not enough water, the human race would cease to exist. He also learned he now respected the depths more than he had. Before he wished simply to be away from it all, to escape the death that would surely come.

* * *

"What is it Hoshi?"

Hoshi faced him and he saw a glimmer of hope in them that was not there when he left for his ready room to tell Malcolm's parents the bad news.

"I believe I have some information that concerns Lieutenant Reed Sir. I just got a message from an unknown source that our Armoury Officer is alive and well. They say they are called mermen and that Malcolm Reed will be able to tell us about them when he arrives. They've given us coordinates of where he should be"

Every face in the nerve center looked at the young Japanese woman. She smiled awkwardly, silently wishing for someone to break the silence that had crept up on them.

"Are…are you sure Hoshi?" Archer breathed, hope returning to his green eyes.

"According to what the message states, yes I am sure Captain" she nodded to affirm.

Jonathan Archer sat in his chair trying to make sense of this new and blunt information. Malcolm was alive after all but he had drowned. They saw him drown, sinking into the merciless depths. Archer knew that Reed was afraid of the water, that he was aquaphobic. He had found out while Malcolm was pinned to Enterprise's hull with that Romulan mine that the Romulans left behind.

"T'Pol…what do you think?" He had to have a second opinion of this new information.

"I am not sure if this information would be true or not but it would be logical to return to the planet at the stated coordinates Captain. We should make sure if the people who sent the message will be true to their word. Lieutenant Reed is a valuable member to this crew and if this information is true, we cannot afford to ignore it."

Archer smiled 'Then that's exactly what we'll do. Archer to Tucker" He said briskly after pressing on the comm. Button. He waited for Trip to reply.

Trip came through on the comm. somewhat strained.

'Yes Cap'n? I'm rather busy as of now' Archer noted the raw emotion in his friend's voice. Malcolm and Trip were rather close friends since their little bout in the shuttle pod while Enterprise herself rescued the tesnians and that it had strengthened a great deal.

'I'm sure this new information will supercede it Trip. Information has come to light that our weapon loving Brit is still alive and that he is well. I know you'd like to come with us on the away mission so I was wondering on whether you could prep a shuttle pod for us?"

There was a pause at Trip's end of the line before the southerner decided to answer.

"Sure Cap'n…are you sure that he is? It could be false information Sir" Trip replied hesitantly. This was one of the few that Trip doubted words of his best friend.

"We think it's better to be on the safe side, or as T'Pol says it, the logical choice." Archer returned.

"Okay Cap'n, I'm righ' on it" Trip said with newfound hope.

* * *

Malcolm found it increasingly difficult to keep in pace with the streamlined fish that was leading him to the surface. He tightened his grip on the staff that Hermes had given him. His mind wandered to his friends back on Enterprise. They must think that he was dead. He knew at one point when the sea had dragged him that someone dove into the water but hadn't followed. He knew now that she had thrown him back into the pea green boat.

He wondered if they missed him either as their Armoury officer or as their friend. Or both perhaps Malcolm thought. He knew Trip might miss him, as he knew they had built a strong friendship, even if they had their 'department arguments' as the subordinates said to them in passing once.

His mind snapped back to the present when the fish tapped him with a sharp fin. The fish's fathomless eyes disconcerted Malcolm terribly and had to re-compose when he found the fish right in front of his face.

The fish spoke to him but it came through telepathically or so Malcolm had guessed.

"This is where I leave you Reed" The fish's voice was sharp and very blunt. The harshness of the fish's voice went through Malcolm like wire through cheese. 'You can swim by yourself from now on. Keep a look out for those who are evil Reed'

Malcolm tried talking back and found to his surprise it worked. 'How will I know who these evil ones are?'

"They are hunters of the waters. They are big with fathomless black eye and swift tail. Perfectly streamlined and agile. Their teeth are continuous Reed. Beware of them" The fish nodded slightly and put a fin on Malcolm's shoulder. He tensed slightly before relaxing again. "Good luck…you are in need of it"

With a nod the fish swam away leaving Malcolm to fend for himself. Malcolm watched the fish's swift movements, swinging his tail side to side.

Malcolm nodded a silent goodbye before heading upwards. It didn't take long for another fish to come near him. Malcolm eyed the fish suspiciously and took note of the similarities that his fish friend spoke of. The streamlined flanks shone brightly in the water where the light above reflected off it.

The fish saw its prey, clutching the staff in its hands. It was vulnerable and friendless. The fish had waited till its friend had swum away from the vulnerable prey. It eyed and then picked up speed to get ready for the attack

Malcolm spun on the spot keeping an eye on the hunter. _Now this was Goliath _Malcolm thought as he spun round. Getting his only line of defense ready in front of him. For the first time in life he was more scared of the fish circling steadily around, gradually picking up speed than he was of the water he was in.

The hunter swam faster and faster and his vision was still as sharp, nothing was blurred in his stead. The prey looked tastier by the minute and he couldn't take it any longer. The fish went in for the kill, darting sharply towards the intended victim.

Malcolm pointed the head of the staff towards the oncoming shark-like creature. The fish opened its great, cavernous mouth, revealing the endless plain of grimy, razor-sharp thorn shaped teeth. Malcolm prayed for luck and victory against this grand fish and they fought. The fish thrashed its long tail at the two-legged morsel and it doubled over but it was quick to attack back at the fish with its three-pronged weapon

Suddenly, without warning the weapon glowed red and grew in size. The fish, blinded by the strange light, swam away from the source. The light enclosed around Malcolm; protecting him in a red, glowing bubble. With all his remaining strength, he swam to the surface.

He surfaced like humpback, gasping for air. The protective bubble stayed with Malcolm until he reached the shore. He climbed with difficulty onto the sandy beach and rolled onto his side, heaving with a fast beating heart.

The fight had taken its toll of him and Malcolm knew strength was leaving him. He felt a sudden urge to get nearer to the trees ahead and forced himself onto his feet, using the staff as a third leg. He made it to a large redwood and sat down heavily, using the thick trunk for a backrest and tried to calm his breathing and to slow his pacing heart. The glow slowly faded and Malcolm waited.

He watched the sea, as it grew dark. He silently thanked Hermes and Aphri who lived in the water's hold. He also thanked the sea for releasing him of his fear and he hoped for a known face.

None came for hours and Malcolm slowly drifted into a deep sleep, slumped against the tree trunk. His legs spread out for support and his hands stayed near to his lap, one hand resting on his thigh and the other on the ground.

* * *

**To overcome your fear you must look in it's eye, eye to eye. You must give it respect and show understanding for you to overcome what fears you. - Source Unknown.**

**A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and i hope you have to. The button is beckoning you...**


	5. Lost Now Found

**A/N: It's been an age since i updated chapters so, to keep you happy. Here is the much awaited Chapter 5**

(Spootycup)Thanks. So do i...Malcolm is such a cool character  
**(Volley)**Though i have not stated much on the curing of Mal's lil' phobia in this chapter, i have a good chap 6 planned containing it all;)  
**(Buggles586)**Thanks  
**(The Libran Iniquity)** Thanks. I hope you like this chapter TLI.  
**(Exploded Pen)** Thanks for that inspiring review. it made me lose my head in fits of laughter. And Archer's chat with the infamous Reed family will staring in chap 6.  
**(Emiliana Keladry)** Sorry about the waiting. I was editing The Way Home and writing after effects whilst the ideas were fresh in my mind. But i am back with The Ocean Blue now. So hip hip hurray!

* * *

The pod landed on the soft ground of the clearing. Birds could be heard to sing shrilly into the blackness of the night as the occupants fell out of the tin can. The wind played with their head, lifting it and smacking it back down on their scalps. All of the occupants were very eager, Charles Tucker in particular. Their strides were long and their pace was quick.

Captain Jonathan Archer was eager to find Malcolm. To give Malcolm's family news that their relation was not dead after all would hopefully make them very happy and Jonathan did feel a little nervous about telling them about this event. But of course this was all based on whether the information sent to the Enterprise was true or not. There was no evidence to go against it being true but there was no evidence in favour of the information. They could as well be going on fool's hope. He shook this from his mind and forced himself to be optimistic, to hope Malcolm was alive after all.

--

Corridors. Endless corridors of his home, his friendly and welcoming abode. He walked into the Armoury and everything was still. No movement among the heaps of equipment neatly placed around the Armoury. This was where he worked, and to a certain extent, lived.

_Squawk! _Malcolm opened his eyes, revealing frosty, fathomless blue spheres, at the sudden sound. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed diligently. When his eyesight returned to focus he looked around, spying the bird planted on a low hanging limb. Its feathers were violet and the bird's eyes were piercing. Strangely, the bird flew down with ease to the Englishman sitting against the tree trunk. It landed beside Malcolm's thigh, rustling fallen leaves as it landed.

The bird looked at Malcolm and hopped on the man's leg, nodding slightly. Malcolm just looked at the creature in amusement, admiring the bird's beauty. The bird spread it's violet wings and flew to Malcolm's shoulder where Malcolm eyed it. It moved its beak to Malcolm's ear. Its voice was raspy but clear at the same time.

'Not far now,' Archer spoke as they strode for the life sign that was their friend. The others nodded and pushed themselves faster, pushing past all the broken bark and tearing it off the trunk.

'What d'ya think he do when he sees us again?' Trip asked, pondering further on a different question that was simmering in his mind.

'Probably say that we're late' Archer returned trying to lighten the mood a little. He had some success; he could see the smile playing on his friend's face and the slight lifting of the mouth on Hoshi's face. If they did find their missing comrade, it would be a glorious day for all of them, including the Reed family.

'Well, we all know Lieutenant Reed Sir' Hoshi stated silently, struggling to keep up with the two stronger men in front of her. Her hair flying in the gentle wind as her pace increased inch by inch.

--

Malcolm's eyes closed again, his mouth hanging open slightly and the bird left him, flying off south and towards several mountains.

And this was how Captain Archer, Commander Tucker and Ensign Hoshi found their British Armoury officer. Sitting with his legs out in a triangular fashion, his hand supporting some of the man's weight and the other resting on his thigh. His eyes were closed and his face seemed peaceful. For some strange reason, Archer couldn't bring himself to disturb the face that was Malcolm. It seemed so unusual for their Armoury officer. So unreal.

And he figured it was the same for the Commander and Ensign next to him and presumed that was what made the Commander whisper,

'He seems so peaceful…should we wake him?'

'I don't think so, but we should really,' Hoshi murmured in response and Archer only nodded. Slowly, he shook the Brit's shoulder. No response came from the Englishman. His face remained serene and peaceful. It was as if he was one with nature and those around him.

Trip knelt down to his best friend shook him more firmly. He heard a grunt and smiled, the Brit slowly opened his eyes and Trip looked into his friends' eyes.

'Malcolm? You okay?' Trip asked gently but Hoshi noted the worry emerged in his accented voice.

'Trip? You came back?' Reed murmured and Trip had to get closer to hear him. Reed's voice was husky and very low; it could hardly be heard amongst the chattering of the birds above.

'Course we came back Malcolm. We would never leave you behind,' Trip affirmed, and he saw the searching eyes of his friend. The blue spheres darting side to side and it was then those spheres appeared to have noticed the others standing beside him, whose faces were etched in worry.

Malcolm struggled to rise and Trip eagerly helped but Malcolm found his balance and batted Trip's hands away from him. He looked at his Captain and smiled slightly.

'Its good to see you again Malcolm,' Archer said with a warming smile. 'Let's get you home.'

Malcolm nodded and they made their way back to the pod, with Malcolm stumbling only once and Trip had to catch the smaller man before Malcolm hit the ground. It was not long before Malcolm was sitting on a bio bed, swinging his legs in an impatient manner while Phlox was examining him.

'Are you finished yet Doctor?' Malcolm asked dryly as he fixed a glare on the Denobulan, but Phlox just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Something he had quickly learned from his human colleagues and was becoming increasingly natural.

'You are an impeccable patient Mister Reed though your bitterness isn't doing you any favours,' Phlox muttered darkly in response, which caused the Lieutenant to raise an eyebrow so that it was a close imitation of T'Pol. Malcolm had rumours that there was a bet going on amongst the science department on how high it could rise to but he wasn't sure on whether it was true or not.

The Sickbay doors could be heard to have opened and who should enter but the Yankee excuse for a Commander. The Commander had a bounce in his step as he strode towards Malcolm and the Doctor.

'Hey Doc. How's is he?' Phlox was about to answer but as usual, Malcolm got there first.

'Fine. Thanks for asking. I hope you've come to take me away from here,' Malcolm stated bitterly and Tucker laughed, slightly shaking his head.

'Sorry. No can do. When will he be fit to leave?' Tucker chuckled, turning to the Denobulan.

'He can leave whenever he wants to. I'm happy now that he's back perfectly in good shape, for once.' Phlox replied with a grin. Malcolm scowled and slid off the bio bed, heading straight for the exit, With Trip in hot pursuit.

'Malcolm. Stop,' surprisingly, Reed stopped, turning on his heel with his arms folded. Trip frowned. 'Cap'n Archer's invited you ta join us for dinner tonight. Thought ya should know, we're all curious how you lived. You can explain it then. Cap'n Archer's talking to your parents right now,' Reed rolled his eyes and started walking slowly and Trip kept up. 'Hell Malcolm, we thought you were dead. No one could have survived that depth without bein' crushed by water pressure. You've made Archer very uneasy about having to inform your parents and sister that you're dead after all.'

Trip let the information sink in and he could visibly see Reed's barriers breaking, his face becoming more relaxed.

'That true? You thought I was dead?' Malcolm asked quickly, but silently so that Trip had to strain to hear him.

'Yeah. It shocked the crew, your Armoury team being at the brunt of it. You should go an' see 'em.' Trip offered a reassuring smile and won a small but definite smile from the Brit.

* * *

**A/N: Not as long as it could be but i couldn't think of a better ending. Let me know if there are any big mistakos. Please leave a message**


	6. Revolution

**My sincerest thanks go to all those who reviewed this story. I was planning on doing a bit more on the aquaphobia but felt it go a bit lengthy, so it will just have to go in Chapter seven.**

**Exploded Pen - **Yup...very sheepish in this one. Keep giglin'  
**Spootycup - **Well, something in the Reed family has changed, as possibly Malcolm. The bird's role comes more apparent in this chapter, i hope it answers you questions also  
**Tata - **Indeed they did...I went a bit further this chapter. Thanks!  
**Volley - **Glad you did. Will do  
**Emiliana Keladry - **Phew! I'm glad...yeah..it was a little wasn't it? I guess because of all the other fictionsI got up that need updating with chaptersI got kinda lost.  
**The Libran Iniquity - **I just had to go with that...lol. I didn't go into it much but it's very apparant:D:D. Thanks..i hope you like this one.

* * *

Earlier on in the day he visited his Armoury team and was happy to know that they were relieved to see him again. He was sure his hand would never be the same again after all the vigorous hand shakes it had gone through in a space of roughly three to four minutes.

The day closed to an end and Malcolm enjoyed the feeling of the gravity and air around him. The door chimed and Malcolm looked at the door disdainfully. He knew full well who would be behind that door, so he put on a fresh uniform and nodded to himself.

'Come,' Sure enough the engineer bounded through the room with his usual happy face and that made Malcolm smile.

'Ya ready Malcolm?'

Malcolm nodded and together they walked the journey towards the captain's mess. It wasn't often Malcolm got invited to join his captain for dinner, but he considered what had happened and smiled slightly.

His mind drifted back to the bird that had flown to him. It had given him the strength to go on, the willpower that was left in him to arise from the depths of him and to keep him going till the crew had found him. Seeing Trip's face again was the most brilliant thing he had seen for ages. He wondered if they would ever return to that planet again sometime in the future.

They eventually reached the mess to find the Captain and the Sub Commander already waiting for them. T'Pol was sitting to Archer's right and she nodded to Malcolm and Trip as they came in.

'Glad you could come Malcolm…I was worried you would do a "Rain Check" on us. Have a seat' Archer gestured to a random spare seat and Malcolm sat down and Trip sat down also. Malcolm found himself seated opposite the Captain and smiled slightly.

'I doubt that Commander Tucker would let me pass this up Sir.' Malcolm replied.

'It's Trip. Remember? Trip.' Tucker shook his head in amusement.

'Trip' Malcolm corrected himself, nodding whilst smiling. He looked at the southerner briefly.

'I bet he didn't. Chef has chosen tonight's meal and apparently it's going to be something grand…for desert, well now that's a surprise,' Archer grinned and to his own surprise, Malcolm returned it.

Just then, several stewards entered the room carrying trays in their arms and Archer nodded slightly.

'Serve Lieutenant Reed first...he deserves it for a change' Archer lifted his eyebrows, smiled and nodded lightly. _Yes _he thought, _I think this dinner will go very smoothly_. The main meal turned out to be a good old-fashioned roast beef with all the trimmings, except for T'Pol of course who had chosen a separate meal earlier with her being a vegetarian.

'I figured we could use an alcoholic beverage to celebrate your return Malcolm…I hope you like Cabinet Sauvignon.'

'Sure,' Malcolm replied with one of his trademark smiles, and Archer nodded towards a steward who poured Malcolm a glass and set in front of the man. The steward then went on to serve the others, save T'Pol, as she was drinking water.

They began their meal and enjoyed the wine. A steward stood by the door waiting for any command, should he be given one.

'So, what happened down there?' Trip asked, before putting a piece of meat into his mouth.

Malcolm cleared his mouth with a sip or two of wine before he started to regale them with his adventure from the deep.

'Well…after sinking into deep water I came to find myself looking at two merpeople. It would explain the five hundred thousand inhabitants we detected before. The two I met were Hermes and Aphri. They seemed friendly at the time and generally wanted to help. '

'Hang on, how was you able to breathe Malcolm? Only god knows how long you were down there for' Trip interrupted, forgetting his meal.

'Well…the water…they said something about it having a mind of her own and allowing people to breathe underwater. She could sense the weakness or fear in people…or something like that. It's rather complex to be honest.'

'Ah' Trip raised his eyebrows, blinked and continued to eat.

' They said they could help me and they took me to this chair thing. I was surprised at all the technology they had down there…it was amazing. It had a machine next to it that tapped into my memories, it would find the last place I was that I was living and if possible, send an automated message to that particular place. Obviously, it had done exactly that' Archer smiled and nodded. He had much to thank for to these mermen that Malcolm was telling them about. Malcolm looked at the people around him. Archer was smiling, Trip was smiling, looking at him whilst eating and T'Pol was looking at him curiously, evidently fascinated by what he was telling them

'They connected it to me by attaching two mechanical devices to my forehead and the back of my head.'

'Did the procedure hurt you at all Lieutenant?' This had come from the Sub Commander and Malcolm looked at her.

'Yes…it did twinge a bit then I just got really tired and practically dozed off. We all saw it as a dream really; least that's what they said. Then they said that she, or what they called the Ocean Blue decided I could leave so I did. With some of their help of course.'

'How'd they help?' Trip asked, smiling slightly.

'Well, Hermes gave me a staff with a forked part at the end…it reminded me of Neptune's staff. They said it would help defend off the enemy, which had turned out to be a shark. They sent me along with a fish guide, massive thing he was. This fish looked like that of a Yellow Finned Tuna, he took me part of the way and I had to go the rest alone as he wouldn't go much further. So I swam on and who should I meet but one of those sharks.'

Malcolm stopped to take another bit of his meal and washing that down with a sip of wine.

'So this shark advances on me and I point the staff at him. He got reasonably close, close enough to double me over and I managed to get him with the staff but it glowed a fire red bubble and increased in size till it had engulfed me. The shark swam away so I continued upwards and surfaced. It was a relief to breathe fresh air again. I made for the shoreline and walked to a tree…and I knew nothing more for a while till a bird came. It was almost like a dream at the time so I just closed my eyes again and you know the rest'

No one said anything for a long while and Malcolm swallowed nervously, he continued to eat his meal finishing the last bit of roast potato and beef. He set his cutlery to meet twelve and relaxed slightly in his chair. His eyes looked from Trip on his right, right through to Archer and then to T'Pol on his left.

Malcolm's eyes made another clean sweep from his colleagues and he fidgeted slightly in his chair, waiting for them to make a sound.

'Wow' Trip's single statement stabbed at the air. The others nodded, agreeing with Trip's punctuating expression.

'Yes…you could put it that way' Malcolm smiled slightly and took a sip of his wine. He savored the taste on his tongue before swirling and rushing it down the back of his throat. He enjoyed the wine thoroughly and wondered what cook would be delighting them with next. He knew cook was renowned for making illustrious meals and deserts.

'Was it exactly like a shark?' Archer asked, his green eyes paying Malcolm undivided attention.

'Um…I don't quite remember, I was concentrating more on getting away from the predator…rather than getting close to it…uh, I far as I can remember Sir, it was bigger than that of a Great White and it had numerous stripes covering it's back and fins…that's all I remember from it.'

'Must've been quite a fight Malcolm…three pronged staff…we didn't find one with you' Trip asked, having finished the last scarps of his meal.

'I left it by the beach…I figured they might want it back some time…besides, what could you do with it on land. It wouldn't have made for a good weapon…too clumsy on its part' Malcolm returned, smiling slightly.

Archer and T'Pol finished their meals in unison, and the stewards put away the plates into the adjoining room. They later returned holding plates and like before Malcolm was served first in honour of his miraculous return. The stewards refilled glasses and left just as quickly as they came, not wanting to disturb their senior officer's conversation for a moment longer.

'I hope it's okay. The only thing that cook had left was lots of Pineapple' Archer informed the Englishman whose features into a large smile and wrinkling around the stormy eyes.

'How's it taste Mal?' Trip asked, holding his spoon but received a look from Malcolm and laughed slightly. He watched as Malcolm cut into the upside down pineapple cake with his own spoon and planted it firmly into his mouth. Everyone watched, waiting in anticipation while Malcolm chewed and swallowing a mouthful

'I'll have to ask Cook to make this again' and Archer and Trip both smiled.

'Glad you liked it Malcolm. We figured you'd be warming up to Pineapple after what you've gone through. How's the Armoury team coping? I hated telling them we thought you were dead' Archer visibly winced at the memory. How he did not want go through that agony ever again.

'Oh. They're certainly happier than before Sir, although my hand won't ever feel the same again.' Malcolm replied, smiling as he took a sip from his glass. The other two humans in the room laughed and T'Pol raised an eyebrow. Malcolm was glad to be back home and cook had definitely outdone himself as usual, nothing ever changed there.

The whole crew knew Cook was always creating new recipes and trying to make the old ones better then before. It was a known fact not to disturb him when he was in the middle of creating. The kitchen was the cook's lair and even the Captain couldn't do anything to change that idea.

'That's good' Archer replied, before forking a mouthful into his mouth.

The evening wore on with a deep conversation between them all, with T'Pol occasionally throwing in the odd comment or two. It was quite a while before any of them retired to their quarters.

--

The next morning brought a sleepy Archer waking to see Porthos rolling on his dog bed, with four short, stubby legs protruding into the air. Archer smiled at the snoozing Beagle and sat up, yawning, bring his hands behind his head and stretched his body. _I need a coffee…god am I tired_ Archer thought as he got up to dress. It was then he remembered he still had to contact Malcolm's family and inform them of the miraculous event. He felt rather sheepish and he sighed.

'Archer to Bridge' Archer called, pressing the COM button. He knew the Alpha shift didn't start for at least a few more hours but thankfully the Beta shift communications officer answered the call and Archer was soon asking him of his request.

The call ended and Archer got himself a coffee before pressing a button that would connect him to the Reed household. He wasn't really looking forward to doing this, having to tell parents that their son wasn't dead after all. And for the first time in a while he felt a pang of nervousness.

He took a deep breath and closed him slightly; he opened them again and waited for someone to answer. He ran a hand through his hair sighing again.

It didn't take long for Malcolm's father to appear on the screen. Archer took a moment to take a look at the man. His eyes look haunted and weary, his hair was a mess and the lines round his face seemed to have deepened more.

It also looked like Stuart Reed was looking at his appearance for his voice was croaky yet soft. And that took Archer by surprise, he had always heard from Trip that from the engineer's conversations with the Englishman that Stuart Reed was very hard spoken and stern.

'Captain… you all right?' Stuart asked, his steel blue eyes searching the green eyes of Archer.

'I'm fine. Thank you Admiral. It's been a trying week for all of us, I'm sure' Archer responded with a small sigh at the end and Stuart nodded. 'I guess I have some news to tell you…you might want to get your wife and daughter Mr. Reed'

Stuart Reed nodded and turned his head, whilst half getting out of his seat, 'Mary! Maddie…come to the study!' He sat back down again and Archer waited patiently, growing more nervous by the second and tried not to look too sheepish.

'What is it?' A familiar voice filled the room and Archer recognized it as Madeline's. 'What's happened?'

Madeline and Mary appeared in the screen behind their husband and father, Mary gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

Archer took a deep breath and began the story of how Malcolm wasn't dead after all and how he was saved by two merpeople and the sea, and how he was guided by a Tuna and the fight between Malcolm and the great shark with nothing but a weapon that resembled Neptune's staff.

Stuart, Mary and Madeline just listened. They were too shocked at what they were hearing from the American talking to them on the screen. Stuart's breathing increased as the realization hit him squarely on the chest. _There's still time _he mused, _I can still let him know, I can make a difference and end this barrier between my son and me._ He thought more and more about his relationship with his son and smiled, his eyes wrinkled

'We found him, propped up against a tree…he didn't look too with it at the time so we just got him back home and to the doctor. I'm sure you're all glad to know he's returned safe and sound' Archer finished, taking a long sip of his coffee. He didn't care what the Reeds thought about it, but they seemed not to have noticed.

'Thank you Captain. This means a lot to me,' Stuart told him 'Can I speak with my son as soon as possible? There are some things between us that need discussing'

Both Madeline and Mary looked at Stuart and Madeline drew him into a hug, as she was so glad something good did come out of the whole affair.

'Of course, please wait a moment'

'Thank you so much!' Madeline exclaimed, looking at Archer. Archer smiled and nodded. He stood and reached for the COM.

'Archer to Lieutenant Reed' He called out briskly.

'Yes Sir?' Archer could have sworn he heard the Lieutenant yawn.

'There are some people I think you should talk to. I'll put them through to your station, is that all right?' Archer asked, casting a glance back at the rest of the Reed family, who had now resorted to hugging each other in happiness. He smiled.

'Sure' came a rather sleepy British reply.

'Malcolm… get some coffee'

'Will do, Sir' the line ended and Archer returned to the screen, he sat down and pressed a button.

'He's up. I'm putting you through to his station.' Archer informed them, taking another sip of his own coffee.

'Thank you Captain. Before you do, I wish to say something,' Stuart replied, his eyes looked urgently at the American and Archer nodded 'I have been cynical about Starfleet in the past, believing it to be not essential to Earth but I see that's different now. Enterprise does have a purpose and it has changed many lives, including ours. If Malcolm hadn't joined Starfleet then I think we may have stayed the same way forever. We're both stubborn men and I'm glad I can see what Malcolm sees in Starfleet now. I was wrong to think such things about Starfleet and Enterprise, and regrettably, you. You have shown much to the rest of us.'

'Thank you very much Admiral…that means a lot' Archer replied, and nodded whilst the two men shared a warm smile. 'I'll patch you through now, shall I?' Archer asked, smiling slightly.

'If you would be so kind'

Archer nodded and pressed the button. Stuart's face disappeared from Archer's screen and reappeared at another on the same ship. Archer had a feeling that everything would turn out all right in the end.

* * *

**As usual Reviews are always welcomed**


	7. The Ocean Blue

**This is the last ever chapter of the Ocean Blue. Thank you so much for your support and good and loving reviews. I'm so glad I've finished this one…it was certainly fun to write! **

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters featured in The Ocean Blue nor have I made any profit from it, well, that's a lie actually; all the profit I made was in entertaining the readers and their reviews…Currency wise, not a bloody cent was made…

Spootycup: Thanks for the review…and thanks again.  
**Volley: **It most certainly is! I was thinking of Ariel, the little mermaid at the time, I think….things shouldn't be allowed to inspire me :D:D. Well, you'll find out on this one Volley…  
**Exploded Pen: **Well, Archer's a relaxed kinda guy…shows in his command style ;). Anyway…thank you for sticking with this tale, very much appreciated and your comments made me very happy and easily amused.  
**The Libran Iniquity: **I usually keep to staying away from Stuart…but I bit the bullet and had a go…I should work more on him…it's thinking up a fiction that would include him…ah well…thanks TLI for staying with this one, and yup, a happy ending this is.

**Thanks again for all your loving support…well, Toodle Pip!

* * *

**

Malcolm blinked his eyes open when he registered the familiar bleep of the comm. System going off in his cabin, he stretched once and reached up to tap the button.

'Yes sir?" he tried his best not to yawn but was failing.

'There are some people I think you should talk to. I'll put them through to your station, is that all right?' He struggled slightly to understand the American on the other end, but thankfully, he got the major gist of what Archer was saying. _People? What people? _Came to mind as his brain slowly processed the information.

_Oh, hell, may as well… _

He resorted to using, 'Sure', his voice blurred by lack of sleep and the want of it.

'Malcolm…get some coffee', Malcolm nearly snorted to that one, trust the Captain to mention coffee. Captain Archer was notorious for his usual supplements of coffee day in, day out.

'Will do, Sir', was all he settled for, being too tired to bother politely declining the notion and he ended the line. He stretched his tired, aching limbs and trundled over to his desk after turning on the lights to which he could see by. He pressed a button the side of the screen and waiting, sitting back in the chair and spreading his legs a little for added comfort.

The screen flickered briefly before a trio of faces appeared on the screen, all of which were instantly recognisable from the moment he saw them.

'Malcolm! You all right?' Madeline screeched, and both Stuart and Malcolm winced at the shrillness of her face. She gave an impish apologetic look.

'Fine' Madeline just gave him a hard stare, 'I am fine, Maddy, don't worry'

'But we do Malcolm. We all thought you were dead…it was so devastating when Captain Archer told us…' Malcolm had expected that to have come from his little sister but astonishingly, that had come from his father, of all people. Malcolm looked at him, his eyes hooded and his face was gaunt…he was still recovering slightly from his ordeal.

'Father?' Malcolm wasn't sure if he had correctly heard his Father…he couldn't have? Could he? His father chuckled slightly.

'Yes…we were very worried…your "death" lead me to think on the things I haven't said, but should have. I have been an idiot and a fool; I don't expect you to forgive me…what is there to be said?' Malcolm and Stuart shared a lengthy look at each other. Stuart studied Malcolm's reaction and Malcolm searched Stuart's, trying to ascertain whether his 'Old-fashioned' father was lying to him again or not. But as he searched harder, he found nothing but genuine care in Stuart's steely grey eyes.

'I am sorry Malcolm, really, really sorry on how badly I have treated you…I want to tell you that I am very proud of you Son…we all are.'

'I…I don't know what to say…' Malcolm spluttered in return, not being able to believe what he was hearing from his Father.

'You don't have to say anything…I just would like to turn a new leaf and start our…relationship again, make it better than it was before.' Stuart paused briefly, taking a small and much needed breath, by that alone, Malcolm knew it was hard for him…to swallow all his hard-earned pride like that. 'Can…can we make it up? I will understand if you don't…'

Stuart swallowed nervously and Mary put a gentle hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. He looked up and smiled weakly at her and then back at his son on the view screen, who of which, simply nodded slowly drawing a small breath.

After an hour of conciliations they finally said their good byes and Malcolm sat on his bunk, his body sinking on the thin excuse for a mattress. He felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, his father had said he was proud of him…actually very proud of him and Malcolm had a hard time getting that round his head.

Here was his Father telling him he was proud of after so many years of being told he was a big disappointment.

**&&&**

Malcolm finally smiled to himself and looked at the time…he thought for quite a while before he stood and headed to the bathroom where he shaved, cleaned his teeth and washed his face before heading back into his main room again. Phlox had put him on light duties but that didn't stop him from putting on a fresh uniform.

He checked to make sure his hair looked okay before he left for the Mess Hall in hopes to catch Travis and Hoshi, and perhaps even Trip would be there if he wasn't dining with the Captain for breakfast. Several crewmen smiled at him and nodded and he returned them.

He reached the Mess and got himself a mug of Tea. _I'll be damned if I have coffee, despite what Archer said_, he thought amusedly as his blue stormy eyes searched the confines of the room. A shout of his name and the wave of a black hand alerted him to where Travis and Hoshi were eating.

He nodded to the Helmsman and got something to eat before making headway to the table shared by the two Ensigns', he sat down and the three began to chat like they always have done before.

'I hear you fended off a shark, Sir', Travis remarked casually grinning at the Englishman as he dove into his cereal.

'Well, it resembled a shark, but yes, I did 'fend' it off as you so casually put it' Malcolm replied in kind, 'So, what rumours have I missed?'

'Oh, not much, Phlox's Pyrithian Bat escaped again but that's pretty much it' Hoshi supplied around a mouthful of pancake.

'Perhaps he should make a better cage for it then…only god knows how many escape attempts that Bat has made now' Malcolm muttered after finishing a mouthful of Pancake and Tea.

'Eighteen, I think…but don't count me on that one, Sir…it could be nineteen, who knows?' Hoshi laughed slightly, her eyes glistening in the light of the hall. Both of the men laughed with her and smiled, or nodded.

'Mind if I join ya?' came the all too familiar accent of the Southern Chief Engineer, and Hoshi and Malcolm nodded whilst Travis gave Trip a grin.

'Sure, Commander'

Commander Tucker sat down with his breakfast and began to dig in. He smiled casually at the trio who were there before he was, his eyes settling on Malcolm for a brief moment before heading to his breakfast again.

'Have a good sleep, Lieutenant?'

'It went smoothly, thank you…would have been nice though if Captain Archer hadn't woken me up though' Malcolm grinned and finished his Tea.

After a while the two Ensigns made their excuses and left.

'When you doin' your duty hours? I know you're on light duties so don't fool me' Trip grinned as he downed a glass of cold milk. He licked his lips slightly, stopping briefly at the corners to capture the droplets of milk formed there.

'After breakfast…I'll check things over and make sure everything's as it should be and what not' Malcolm smiled slightly back.

'Good…what do you say to comin' round mine later and have a beer or two?' Trip asked, his eyes looking into Malcolm's.

Malcolm though it over and gave a little nod, 'I'd like that very much'. Things were definitely turning up and as Malcolm completed his four to five hours of light duties, he contemplated his fear of water and he knew he would still be afraid of it, but not as much as he had been previously…however strange it was to him, he had much to thank for to the Ocean Blue.

* * *

…**Don't forget to leave a review still…I LOVE reviews…:D:D**


End file.
